How odd it felt to see the first image of the Pittsburgh skyline from the Interstate 376 which dropped us into "down town" and when we reached our final destination at the Westin Convention hotel on Penn Avenue. All my life, I’ve heard of St Francis Hospital, Milvale Avenue, Calvary Cemetary and other places that this week will become familiar. I’ve actually been here twice with my Mom and one more time with Chuck but that was to drive in and visit Aunt Jean and cousins Henry and Lois, now gone to heaven. All my family comes from Pittsburgh, Mom and Dad’s parents came here from Ireland and Italy… And so I settle in to a hotel room and look out the window and try to imagine what my cousins Marion and Bob will be like "after all these years". I actually met them at a family reunion in California about 15 years ago… but that was hurried and, I hardly remember. On top of this exciting reunion is the submarine convention. The hotel is already hosting some submariners and the hospitality suite is open. So. Onward, into the week. This is what we left Miami May 1 to do. This is the final stop in a long journey that took us "while we are at it" all the way to St Petersburg, Russia, to England for a month, to the Queen Mary 2 special anniversary crossing. This is the final destination after dumping our car on willing cousins Laura and Dennis, the wedding in Atlanta, the visits to Al and Shannon, Karla and Mark, Katie and John, Andy and his brother, Moira and Dave, Linda and Joe, all the Larson cousins. On this vacation I celebrated my 68th birthday and Chuck and I celebrated 45 years of marriage. Time to go home! To hang laundry on the line, to sleep on my own sheets and pillows, cook in our kitchen, clean the oven, ride around in the pontoon boat. You name it. Home. I will write about what happens here, but sufficient to say. Thank God for a successful journey. No scares (beyond the big one in Talinn, Estonia where Chuck was pick pocketed and got his wallet back…) and no illnesses (except for the unholy nose blowing due to spring in England…). Thank God for a great journey and now dear Lord bless the rest of our journey and our meetings with more cousins and many submariners. God bless America, and God bless us all.
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